


The Stowaway

by harmony88



Series: Forever With You: Part 2 [23]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Family Feels, Implied Sexual Content, Love, Marriage, Plot, Romance, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 14:01:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30056565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harmony88/pseuds/harmony88
Summary: COMPLETEThe Doctor and Rose are visiting Jackie, Pete and Tony. When they finally return to the stars, nothing goes to plan when Tony sneaks into the TARDIS and comes along without permission.“If we let him do this, Rose, he’s just going to want to come on more trips,” he said. “I’m not ready for that.”She knew he was remembering the fears he had the night before, and she just sighed.“Maybe that’s why she did it,” she whispered, and the Doctor just stared at her. “I’m sorry. I... I’m going to talk to Mum. I’m sure she’s freaking out.”“It was nice while it lasted,” he muttered.“What?” she asked.“Being married to you. She’s going to blame me and then kill me, you know that?” he said.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: Forever With You: Part 2 [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2111892
Comments: 10
Kudos: 26





	1. Matching Suits

**Author's Note:**

> I can't quite get enough of this version of the Tyler family and the Doctor. They all love each other so freaking much. I really hope you like it! Thanks for reading!

When he opened the closet, he was greeted by the sight of his old leather jacket. 

He couldn’t believe it surprised him to see it. He knew it was there, he was the one who put it there, and yet, for some reason, it was the very last thing he expected to find. And instead of changing into a new suit like he told Rose he was going to go do, he found himself staring at it, running his hand along the sleeve, his mind swimming in memories as one thought began to ring in his ears. 

Weeks mattered in a way they never did before. 

Twenty-six of them had passed since they found the Eye of Discord with Parick Townes and he had an emotional breakdown that led to making love on that very jacket, and their baby girl was conceived. 

Twenty had come and gone since the TARDIS decided to take them to a dying, time-locked Kingdom of Arden, where Queen Victoria had kept her “secrets” underground. Twenty weeks since they discovered the artificial diamonds that drain time and realized Rose was pregnant. 

Twenty weeks since forever got an entirely new meaning. 

Seventeen weeks had occured since they visited Queen Victoria on her deathbed and discovered she was in fact bit by the wolf that day in 1879. Seventeen weeks since they met Mr. Townes and Mr. Rhodes, and this entire situation became much more complicated. 

He sighed a little at that thought. 

It had been thirteen weeks since they watched Patrick Townes get shot by someone in a wolf’s hood. Twelve since he almost regenerated and Robert made those threats. Eleven since he saw his parents. Ten since they discovered they were having a girl and realized just how special her name was. Six since they risked a paradox and found out Mr. Townes’ brother was the boy the Brethren used to make the wolf in the first place. Five since they found that key in the statue of Queen Victoria. Three since they stumbled across the secret room in Torchwood 2 and they realized there are hidden records missing from their database that they need to find. 

Three weeks since they almost let their fears beat them, and one week since his wife reminded him just how powerful _love_ can be. 

Weeks mattered. 

He felt a tap on his shoulder, pulling him out of this timeline of thoughts, and he turned to see Rose looking at him with a small smile, brushing her hand over his shoulder. 

“Hum in my head was loud,” she said. “You okay?” 

“Course,” he said, pulling her into a kiss. “Which shirt should I wear?”

She looked at him for a moment, and he knew she knew he had been thinking about a lot more than his wardrobe, but she reached up and grabbed her favorite blue Oxford anyway, handing it to him. 

“With your pinstripes?” she said, and he just smiled at her. 

“Molto Bene,” he murmured, and she pressed her back against the doorframe, watching as he picked out a tie to go with it. “I’m fine, Rose.” 

“Okay,” she said, still looking at him. He just smiled. 

“How’s Alice?” he asked.

“Kicking,” she said with a smile, and he stopped for a moment so he could kiss her and then her belly. She watched as he stepped back and buttoned the shirt and tucked in into his trousers, then wrapped the tie around his neck and looped it in place, pulling until it was just tight enough. He grabbed his suit coat and threw it on, and turned to look at her. “Is your mother still waiting for us?” 

“Yeah,” she said. “You ready?” 

He nodded and stepped out of the closet, shutting the door behind him as he took Rose’s hand, and they walked out of the TARDIS back into the Tyler’s backyard. 

Jackie was sitting by the patio table, helping Tony put his shoes on, and Pete was grabbing his keys from the entry hall. They had stayed longer than either intended this week, but after the Babadook, “goodbye” was a word that both Rose and the Doctor were finding harder to say than usual. 

It took the realization their daughter would be born sometime in the next twelve to fourteen weeks to snap them out of their domestic bubble and remind them they have a secret organization to stop. 

They still didn’t know what their plan was. 

Rose squeezed the Doctor’s hand, able to hear that thought, and he kissed her forehead. He tried to put it all to the side, aware Jackie had asked that they all go to lunch before they left, and when he looked back at Tony he felt his head start to spin. 

He was wearing a suit.

“It was his choice, mate. I swear,” Pete said, chuckling, and the Doctor knelt down in front of him. 

“Monster...What are you doing?” he asked, and Tony just smiled. 

“We match!” he said happily. 

“Yeah, we sure do,” the Doctor said, unable not to smile, and Rose locked eyes with Jackie, who both found this moment entirely too sweet to process. Tony and the Doctor both started laughing and Tony grabbed his hand, babbling at him as he led him inside to show him something, and the Doctor shared a quick glance with Rose before he disappeared through the glass door. She felt her heart flutter. 

“Would you believe we had to have it custom made? He’s been asking for months. Finally arrived while you were changing,” Jackie said softly, and Rose stared at her. 

“Mum,” she said, and Jackie just laughed and hugged her, cupping her hand to her cheek when she pulled away. 

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” she asked. 

“Exactly the same as every other time you’ve asked me today,” she teased, poking Jackie’s arm a little. “You don’t have to worry. I’m fine.” 

“I’ll worry if I want to worry,” she said, and Rose’s eyes locked with Pete for a moment. “And I’m warning you now, Rose, when I was pregnant with both you and Tony, those last few months nearly killed me. You should -” 

“Mum,” Rose tried to say, but Jackie kept going. 

“Be ready. My ankles were so swollen I could barely walk, my heartburn was through the roof. You remember, Pete, don’t you, sweetheart? I -” she said. 

“Jacks,” Pete said, catching the look of exhaustion on Rose’s face. “She gets it.” 

Jackie had already warned her about her final trimester four other times this trip, and she just sighed. 

“I’m just saying, I know you both think you’re being careful, and I’m sure you are, that husband of yours probably wouldn’t do it any other way, but all that traveling right now, it can’t -” Jackie said, and Rose rolled her eyes. 

“Mum,” she said, squeezing her mother’s hand. 

Jackie sighed, realizing what she was doing and she kissed Rose’s cheek, just as Tony and the Doctor came running back outside. 

“ROSE! ROSE! ROSE!” Tony screamed. 

“What’s that?” she asked, and he held up a lego sonic screwdriver she suspected the Doctor had just put together for him, beaming madly at her. She smiled. “Wow.” 

“LOOK!” Tony said, and she just nodded. 

“Yeah, I see it, T. It’s awesome,” she said, looking at the Doctor, who had a look on his face she’d never seen before. Her brow furrowed and she was about to ask him if he was alright, when Jackie suddenly grabbed her hand and started ushering all of them toward Pete’s car, making them pile in.

Rose sat on one side of Tony’s car seat and the Doctor sat on the other, and when he didn’t make a comment about it, or complain about how they were taking a bloody car wherever they were going, she knew something was bothering him. 

_Hey, you._

_Hey._

Before she could ask him anything, Tony held up his sonic screwdriver again and began to make noises. The Doctor held his up too and winked, and Rose tried not to watch the way his Adam’s apple bobbed.

Tony began pretending to lock the car doors with his lego version, and the Doctor discreetly did so himself, flashing Tony impressed smiles each and every time. 

Rose watched, her throat tight, and she ran her hand along her belly, biting her lip. 

“Oi, you two! Knock it off!” Jackie chastised when the constant clicking of the locks irritated her, and the Doctor and Tony high-fived. 

“So, where are we going for lunch?” Rose asked.

“Oh, we’re going baby shopping first,” Jackie said. Rose and the Doctor shared a look. 

“Jackie, we -” the Doctor started to say, but Jackie shot him a glare and he stopped. “Anything in particular?” 

“I don’t bloody well know. You two are the ones having a baby,” Jackie said with a smirk, and the Doctor smirked right back. Tony continued to play with his legos. 

“Maybe some...clothes?” Rose said, tugging on her earring. “She’ll need clothes.” 

“Of course she’ll need clothes!” Jackie exclaimed, and the Doctor saw Pete stifle a laugh in the rearview mirror as they pulled into the parking lot of a small shopping center, and they all jumped out, walking inside while Jackie and the Doctor continued to banter. 

She called him a stupid idiot at one point, and then kissed his cheek. 

They all found themselves in a store that had a little bit of everything when it came to getting ready for a new bundle of joy, and Pete was looking at toys while Jackie and Rose were picking out a variety of clothes the Doctor knew his daughter would outgrow before any of them could process it. But Rose was smiling, and it made his hearts skip a beat, so he just watched out of the corner of his eye as he and Tony were looking at strollers. 

“I mean...Will we even use you?” he asked, talking directly to the box in front of him. “Tony? Will Rose and I use a stroller?”

Tony shrugged and the Doctor just sighed, when a woman knelt down and picked up the lego sonic screwdriver. 

“I think your son dropped this,” she said, handing it to the Doctor. 

“Oh, he’s not...” he said, looking down at Tony, who was distracted by something shiny, giggling. “He’s my brother-in-law. Thank you.” 

“Oh, well,” the woman said with a smile. “You two are still cute. Matching suits. Have a good day.”

“Yeah, you too,” he said, and he took a deep breath, looking over at Rose, who was still laughing with Jackie as they held up one of the most ridiculous baby raincoats he’d ever seen. “Oh, no...Come on, monster. We need to stop your mum from convincing your sister that your niece needs things she doesn’t. Allons-y.” 

He winked at him, holding out his hand, and he tried to ignore the knot that had settled in his stomach. He knew what was causing it and it was irritating him, but that woman thinking Tony was his son only tightened it, and he was doing his best to push it all away, because it wasn’t a feeling he wanted to dive into. 

He walked up to Rose with a raised eyebrow. She just gave him a sheepish smile. 

“Look!” she hummed.

“When would she wear this?” he asked, taking the coat from her hand. 

“Lots of planets have rain,” she said with a smile, and the Doctor just looked at the coat. 

“It has...cats on it,” he said. “Rose. No.” 

“What’s your problem with cats?” Jackie asked, and the Doctor just raised an eyebrow at her. Tony tugged at his hand and he looked down. 

He knew that dance. 

“Yeah?” he asked, and Tony just made a face. “Jackie, I think he needs -” 

“You should do it, get practice,” Jackie said with a smile, and the Doctor just sighed. 

“I have potty trained kids before, you know,” he told her, and she smiled, about to make some snarky comment about how he is a kid himself, but Rose saw that same look from earlier cross over her husband’s face for a moment and she interrupted. 

She suddenly had a feeling she knew what was bothering him. 

“Tony, I’ll take you potty, yeah? Come on,” Rose said, holding out her hand, and the Doctor just clenched his jaw and closed his eyes as Rose walked away, leaving him alone with Jackie. 

“You alright?” she asked, but the Doctor brushed it all off and smiled. 

“I’m always alright,” he said. “But no to this jacket.” 

“Fine,” Jackie said, and he laughed a little as he put it back, and glanced down into the basket she was holding. 

“Thank you for this,” he said, a little more seriously, and Jackie just smiled. 

“No, Doctor. Thank you,” she said, and for a moment, all their banter and teasing fell to the side, and she pulled him into a hug. Neither said anything for a moment as they pulled apart, and Pete walked up to them, holding a stuffed yorkie dog toy. 

“How much would Rose kill me if I bought this?” he asked, and the Doctor burst into laughter. Jackie rolled her eyes, and Pete just laughed, too. “Get it?” 

“Yes, we all get it, you plum,” Jackie said, unamused. 

“Hide it,” the Doctor warned, and Pete laughed as he went to put the toy back, just as Rose and Tony came bouncing back into the room. 

“Mummy! I peed in the toilet!” Tony said, and Jackie smiled. 

“Good boy,” she said, and Rose reached her hand out to the Doctor, who pulled her into a one armed hug. He kissed the top of her head. 

“Would we ever use a stroller?” he murmured in her ear, and she looked at him. 

“I...Maybe? I dunno. Can’t really run with them, can we?” she asked. They both laughed a little, and he pressed his lips to her head again, rubbing his hand up and down her arm. “You okay?” 

“Yeah,” he whispered. 

“You sure?” she pressed on, and he cupped her cheek and gave her a soft kiss. 

_I really don’t wanna talk about it._

_Okay._

“Alright, you two, let’s ring all this up and go get lunch, yeah?” Jackie said, once again moved by just how much she knows her daughter is loved. 

She could see it in his eyes, how Rose was forever the center of the Doctor’s universe. 

They ended up eating at a small french-inspired cafe, all laughing and joking, and it was a moment of peace amidst their timeline of chaos, and the Doctor was trying to savor it. He was trying so hard, but two more people had mistaken Tony for his son when they were walking back to the car, and by the time they were strapped in seat belts, heading back home, he had started to close off. 

“Uncle Doctor?” Tony asked, and he turned his head to him. 

“Hm?” he asked. 

He held up his screwdriver again, and the Doctor sighed, holding his up, too. 

“Can we play more?” he asked, and Jackie, who had been able to sense something was bothering the Doctor, pretended she didn’t hear. 

The Doctor held a finger to his lips, but his smile wasn’t as bright as usual as they locked the doors over and over, and Rose looked out the window, aware if he needed to talk, he would. 

She was a little worried about him, though, and it would be several more hours before he finally let himself process. 

And when he did, upstairs in the guest bedroom, it came in a rush. 

He had just said goodnight to Tony while Rose was in the bath, and she heard the click of the door and the ruffle of clothes as he took off his suit coat, when she heard him let out a muffled sob neither were expecting. 

Her eyes snapped open, and the hum in her head grew rather incessant very quickly. She knew he was trying to stay quiet by the way his heartbeat was suddenly rapid in her ring, but she managed to pull herself out of the tub and wrapped herself in a robe, and she pushed the door open quietly. 

He was leaning against the wall near the bed, his hand over his eyes, very obviously grinding his teeth. She took a deep breath and slowly entered the room, not wanting to startle him, and she moved to sit down next to him, pulling him to her. 

He didn’t object or apologize, he just collapsed into her touch. His tears were silent but very real, and she felt sorrow grip her as her arms wrapped securely around his shoulders and waist, and she just rubbed his back as a new set of tears began to fall. 

“I love you,” she said, and he just sighed. 

“I love you, too,” he said quietly. “I’m fine. Just...moment of weakness.” 

“We all have those,” she reminded him, and he clenched his jaw, letting out a breath and sitting back up. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

“No,” he said. “Yes. I don’t know. Maybe.” She looked at him and began to run her hand through his hair, and it was silent for a few minutes. “Tony loves me.” 

It wasn’t what she thought he was going to say, and it made her laugh a little in surprise. She kissed his shoulder. 

“Of course he does,” she said. 

“I know, it’s just...I don’t think I...It’s a lot, Rose. Isn’t it? Like he loves me a lot?” he asked, and her smile fell. There was a scared ‘deer in the headlights’ look on his face, and she cupped his cheeks. 

“What’s this really about, hm?” she asked. “Tony loving you is not new.” 

He opened his mouth, then closed it, and his throat was tight. “It’s complicated.” 

“Is it your sons?” she asked. He groaned. 

“Of course it is. Partly. It’s also...It’s a lot of things,” he said. “I’m going to take a shower.” 

She nodded and watched him stand and go into the ensuite, and she let out a breath when she heard him click the water on. She stared at the door, and she ended up peeking her head inside, where she saw him through the glass doors standing still in the warm water with just a small amount of steam wrapping itself around his body, and she bit her lip. 

“Do you want me to leave you alone?” she asked. 

He shook his head, and she dropped the robe on the floor as she opened the shower door and stepped in with him. She moved to hold his hand and joined him under the water, the warmth comforting and soothing, and she rested her head against his shoulder. 

Neither spoke for a moment. 

“Can you sing that lullaby?” he asked. 

She felt her throat tighten, and she began to hum the series of “oohs” from a few weeks before. The song was soft and ethereal, and she felt him shift a little so he could place his hand on her belly. 

Alice kicked, and he let out a breath. 

“It’s scary when a child loves you like that, Rose,” he said. “I don’t want to disappoint him.” 

She stopped singing, and he clenched his jaw. “You won’t.” 

“He’s not even my kid,” he whispered. “But it hit me today how much he wants to be like me. And he shouldn’t.”

“Doctor -” Rose said, but he groaned and pulled away, leaning against the wall of the shower. 

“It just... I’m not the role model he thinks I am. He sees me as this hero and -” he muttered, and Rose stopped him. 

“Yes you are,” she said softly, and he just ran a hand over his face. 

“Don’t,” he said bitterly, and she stared at him. “My sons...All I could think today, when those people assumed...All I could think is I would be honored if...But then I thought about how I treated my kids. How I ran away. How I never listened to them, always decided I knew better and was better. I created that monster, Rose. I made them hate me. And all I could think about was how Tony is the opposite of that, somehow...And he shouldn’t be, because he’s human, and he’s more fragile and…”

“Okay, slow down. Breathe,” she said, and she pressed her hands over his hearts, which were beating so hard it was like they were getting ready to break through his ribs. “I think you’re punishing yourself a little. No one could ever hate you.” 

He finally lifted his eyes to look at her, and the way his face was creased and the water was dripping off of his eyelashes made her want to pull him in a hug and never let him go. He sighed. “It’s different with Time Lords, Rose.” 

“Tony isn’t a Time Lord,” she said. 

“Alice is,” he mumbled, and Rose stared at him, realizing she’d just unmasked what was bothering him the most. “Time...Lady, whatever. Same thing.” 

“Doctor, she is not going to hate you,” Rose whispered lovingly, and he closed his eyes and turned around, once again standing still in the water. 

“I.. It’s complicated, Rose,” he whispered. She watched as he took a breath and just started washing his body, and she traced her tongue along her lips. 

“I know. But do you really think if you weren’t the person Tony thinks you are that my mother would let you play with him?” she asked. 

“I’m your husband,” he said. 

“What does that mean?” Rose asked, moving him back to face her so she could wrap her arms around his waist. He sighed, realizing the words didn’t come out the way he wanted them to. 

“It means...I’m not some babysitter or...I have to be here, in a way, I mean, I dont _have_ to, I want to, but it just means, I s’pose, what can she -” he began, not sure what he was trying to say, and Rose shut him up with a kiss. 

“Stop,” she said, her lips still touching his. “Please stop.” 

“Rose -” 

“Doctor,” she replied, and their eyes danced for a moment. “Second thing. We’re wasting water. We should continue this conversation out of the shower, don’t you think? I feel like I’m in a decontamination lift.” 

He sighed, aware she was trying to make him smile, but he wasn’t in the mood. “Fine.” 

She stepped away and stopped the shower, grabbing towels and watching as he dried off and fluffed his hair, not bothering to add his usual mousse to it before he threw on pajamas and laid down on the bed. She changed too, once again in a t-shirt that didn’t go entirely over her belly and she sat down on the edge of the mattress, staring at him. 

“I didn’t mean it the way it sounded,” he whispered. 

“I know,” she said. “But I also know that us being married would not stop my mother from keeping Tony away from you if she thought she needed to. Have you met her?” 

He didn’t say anything, and Rose ran a hand along his thigh. 

“You know how much I love you, right?” she whispered. He nodded. 

“Of course I do,” he said. “Still don’t get it.” 

She just looked at him, and she flashed him his favorite smile, moving so she was straddling him. “You wanna be reminded?” 

“Rose…” he began to say, but she leaned down and kissed him, sending him all the love she possibly could, trying to show him just how worthy of it he was. He gave in, unable not to respond when her body was this close or her mouth was that warm, and he kissed her back, wrapping his hand in her hair, and he pulled away with a small noise. 

“Alice is not going to hate you. Don’t worry about that for a moment,” she whispered. 

“I’m not worried she’ll hate me,” he said. “I’m worried she won’t.” 

She sighed, and he ran a hand over his face, irritated with himself. “I told you it was complicated,” he said. “I know it’s probably irrational. I do. I just…” 

“Let’s just get some sleep, yeah?” she asked, changing the subject. “I bet you’ll feel better in the morning.” 

He nodded, unsure of where to go from there anyway, and she tucked up on her side with her arm draped across his stomach as she fell asleep.

He stared at the ceiling, trying to get past whatever insecurity he was triggered by, when he felt Alice move. It almost looked like a wave, the way her feet pressed against his wife’s belly as she shifted, and for a moment his mind flashed to the sound of the ocean crashing against the rocks. 

The fixed point that led them to forever. 

“Hello,” he whispered. “It’s been twenty six weeks in there, hope you’re comfy.” 

He broke off, and he cleared his throat. 

“Twenty six weeks...I’ll have to run a test, but that usually means your eyes are probably opening completely...You probably have little fingernails. I bet they’re rather cute, aren’t they? What am I saying, of course they are,” he said. 

Rose stirred slightly, dropping her arm off of his waist and he watched, deciding to just keep talking to his daughter. 

He needed her to know his fears weren’t about _her._

“I told you before that we will always be there to protect you,” he began. “I mean that. I promise you, right here, right now, that you will always have me. Always. Even if we’re fighting, even if you think I’m being unfair one day, which you probably will, because I know I can be... When you’re a teenager, probably - I met your mother when she was a teenager, well, nineteen, but well, no, yes, I s’pose that would have made her still a teenager,” he took a deep breath to stop his rambling. “Anyway…” 

He trailed off again, trying to recenter his thoughts, but all he could think of were three words. 

“Oh, you know…” 

He closed his eyes and placed his hand on Rose’s stomach, and Alice moved a little, as if trying to tell him she heard every word. He smiled, finally closing his eyes. 

The feeling of swimming in amniotic fluid came into his mind, and his eyes snapped back open. It happened again, and he dropped his hand and sat up, looking at Rose’s belly carefully. 

“That’s not possible,” he muttered. 

It happened again. 

“Rose? Rose, wake up!” he urged. 

She stirred, and the alarm of his voice scared her. “What? What’s wrong? You alright?” 

He stared at her, unable to speak, but the feeling of moving through that thick, wet substance currently lined in her belly came to his mind again, and he felt like his head was spinning so fast he was seconds away from passing out. “Did you feel that?” 

“Yeah,” she said. “What…?” He shook his head, unable to form words, and he reached for his sonic screwdriver, instantly scanning Rose’s belly. “Is she okay?”

He dropped the screwdriver on the floor, and he just stared at his wife. “Her brain waves are active.” 

“Okay,” Rose said. “That’s good.” 

It clicked. 

“Oh, my God…” Rose said, placing her hands on her stomach. “Oh, my _God!_ ”

Nothing felt real at the moment. His entire body felt prickly, as if every limb had fallen asleep somehow and was trying to wake back up. His throat was very dry, and he couldn’t tell if his hearts were beating or if he was breathing, all he could feel was that slow swimming sensation in his mind, and he jumped a little when Rose grabbed his hand. 

“Doctor,” she said, smiling and crying, and he just stared at her in shock. 

“She shouldn’t be able to do that,” he somehow managed to say. His voice felt so far away, and he just shook his head. “She…” 

“She’s our daughter,” Rose whispered. “A few unexpected things are to be expected.” 

He felt the tears try to escape his eyes but he held them down, and he pulled Rose into a hug. 

The feeling vanished when Alice probably fell asleep, and the Doctor closed his eyes. Rose wrapped her arms around him even tighter than they already were, until she started laughing. He pulled away to look at her, and she bit her lip, running her hand over her belly. 

“She really did that?” the Doctor asked, still in shock, and Rose just smiled. 

“She really did that,” she said. She laughed again. 

He shook his head and took a deep breath, reaching for Rose’s hand, “You two are just impossible, aren’t you?” 

“Maybe,” she said with a wink, and he traced her features, looking at the small round shape at the end of her nose that always drove him crazy, the curve of her lips that always made it impossible not to kiss her, the small lines around her mouth that had grown with each smile she’d ever given him, and he suddenly forgot about what he had been so worried about before. 

He pulled her into another hug, and his Christmas scent filled her lungs as she clung to him. 

“She really shouldn’t be able to do that, though,” he said. “Time Lord brains are advanced, but we don’t form telepathic connections in the womb. It usually begins around the time we start school.” 

“Howling,” Rose said, yawning and falling back onto the mattress. 

He laid down next to her, staring at the ceiling, and his mind was swirling. “We should teach her blocks straight away, even if she can’t understand us, her mind might sense what we’re trying to do... And we need to avoid planets with telepathic species until she can get a grasp on it.” 

“Okay,” Rose said, holding his hand. “Who knows? She might have instincts, too. Might all come kind of naturally to her.” 

His pulse quickened at that thought and he turned and stared at her, but her eyes were closed and she was smiling, thinking about Alice, and he swallowed hard. 

“Quite right,” he said. “Blimey.” 

“What?” she asked. 

“Keeping up with both of you. Most fun I’ll ever have,” he murmured, and she opened her eyes. 

“Doctor,” she whispered, able to tell he was feeling much better than he had been, and if there was any doubt lingering in her mind, the brilliant smile he flashed her proved it. 

“I really need to fix that clock,” he said. “I want her to have it.” 

“Okay,” Rose said with a smile, and he just kept going, talking about other things they should start to plan for. The joy in his voice soothed her, and she found herself drifting off after just a few minutes, and he finally let himself rest, too. 

The following day would be unlike anything either could have prepared for.


	2. Destiny

They were, once again, undercover. 

Rose was in another Victorian dress that was still much too heavy for comfort. It was a soft yellow, and it bunched around her belly just a touch, highlighting her bump in a way that made the Doctor smile seductively at her. She was pinning a wig in place as she walked up to him, and he just chuckled. 

“What?” she asked. 

“I like you with red hair,” he mumbled. “Have some rather fond memories of you with red hair.” 

She flashed him her own dirty smile, both remembering that night in 2056 that truly felt like lifetimes ago, and he winked at her. He was slicking his hair back in a boring brown suit, and looked over his cheeks in the mirror, realizing he hadn’t shaved while they were at Jackie’s. He reached for his razor, but she stopped him. 

“I like you all scruffy,” she said, and there was a moment where their eyes danced, and the flirtatious air in the room was almost all consuming. 

He set the razor down. 

“Get over here,” he said, and pulled her into a kiss. His tongue found hers in the way that made her knees go weak, but he held her up, deepening the kiss against the mirror of their ensuite, before he pulled away and hummed. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too,” she said. “We just go into Mr. Rhodes office, try to look for any papers or records that might tell us more about the diamonds, and leave.” 

“Yep,” he said. “We try not to talk to him.” 

“Right,” she said. “And we don’t forget to use accents if we do, yeah?.” 

“This one?” he asked in a northern voice, and she swatted his arm a little. He laughed. “Allons-y, Rose Tyler.” 

They shared one more small kiss before they pulled the lever and approached the doors, stepping out into a small Scottish village on a sunny day in 1881. 

Two small feet were following them. 

Rose had her arm tucked around the Doctor’s as they looked around, noticing the simplicity of the buildings and dirt roads. There weren’t too many people who were in the village itself, and in many ways it seemed like a pitstop, almost. It was quiet, and the Doctor deduced in his head, wondering why Mr. Rhodes would have chosen such an unfrequented location as this for his office. 

He realized he knew the answer as soon as he asked. 

“Didn’t want to be easily found, it seems,” he muttered, and Rose bit her lip, stopping to look around slowly. “Glasgow isn’t too far, but in this time a trip from here to there would still take a day. Probably allowed him to step away frequently.” 

“It might not have been his choice,” Rose whispered. “Considering.” 

She turned over her shoulder, feeling like something was behind them, but she didn’t see anything, and they kept walking. The Doctor sniffed, noticing a small post office, a butcher, and a merchant cart, and he assumed the medical office must be further down the path. 

This time he turned around, and he swore he saw a shadow tuck into some bushes. “You go ahead.”

“Not a chance,” she said with a smirk, and before the Doctor could say anything else they heard a ruffle in the branches, and they both reached for their sonic screwdrivers, slowly walking toward it. 

A small voice began making noises they heard the day before in the car, and they froze. 

“Tony?” the Doctor asked, his stomach turning, and he pulled the bush apart, where sure enough he was sitting before him, blonde hair a little messy, holding his lego screwdriver in his hand. 

“Hi, Uncle Doctor!” he said, and Rose grabbed his arm and pulled him up and out of the bushes. 

“What are you doing here?!” she asked sternly, and he smiled. 

“I wanted to help! I have Uncle Doctor’s suit, and this! I was playing hide and seek!” he said, once again holding up his screwdriver, and the Doctor shared a glance with Rose. 

His fears from the night before came flooding back with a vengeance. 

“How long have you...Tony, stop moving,” he said, scanning him quickly with his sonic screwdriver, making sure he wasn’t hurt. Tony just giggled, and the Doctor stared at him. “No. I’m sorry. You can’t be here. Come on, we have to take you home.” 

He was trying not to panic, and he was relieved his voice sounded steady. 

“No!” he cried, and a few people who were walking by turned and looked, and they began to talk under their breath. Tony was still wearing his matching suit, and he looked a little heartbroken when he saw the Doctor had changed, and Rose gave him a look. 

“The Doctor is right. You have to go home. Mum is going to kill me -” she said. 

“You?” the Doctor asked, “My head is going to be on a stake in her backyard for the rest of eternity. Tony, come on.” 

The Doctor held his hand out, but Tony just pouted and crossed his arms, and Rose lost her patience. 

“Stop that. This isn’t funny. We’re not playing a game right now, T. The Doctor and I have something we have to do and you have to go home. Now,” she said, and she picked him up with a force that, if the Doctor didn’t know better, would have him questioning if she was six months pregnant. Rose ignored his protests and she clutched him onto her hip, and the Doctor just stared at her for a moment. 

It was a sight he wasn’t expecting, and it was doing things to him he wasn’t prepared for. Rose in that dress, very pregnant, holding another child on her hip, taking charge. It was...well…

Wrapped around her bloody finger, he was, and he knew he was getting ahead of himself. His impossible human. 

“Are you coming?” she asked, rather irritated at the moment, and he snapped out of his trance and nodded. 

“Yeah,” he said. “Tony, how did you even get here?” 

He was officially starting to panic, just a little, and his mind was spinning, berating him for not having noticed a _toddler_ stowed away on his ship. He didn’t let it show, clenching his hand into a fist so he had something to focus on and didn’t scare Tony, who he could tell was a little upset they weren’t happier to see him. 

“The TARDIS let me on when Mummy and Daddy walked back inside,” he said softly, and Rose stopped walking. 

“Wait, what?” she asked. Tony didn’t reply, he just looked down at his sonic screwdriver, and the Doctor groaned a little when he recognized the look on Rose’s face. 

“Rose, no. He can’t be here,” he said seriously, but Rose bit her lip. 

“The TARDIS _let_ him on, Doctor,” she whispered, continuing to walk back to the ship. “Tony, where were you while the Doctor and I were changing?” 

“My room,” he told them. 

“You don’t have a room,” the Doctor said, also very seriously, and Tony giggled. 

“She made me one!” he exclaimed, and the Doctor felt his hearts drop to his stomach. 

“I don’t care,” he said. “You are too young. We’re taking you home.” 

Rose watched him for a moment, her instincts waking up, and she bit her lip.  
“Let me phone mum,” she whispered. “My mobile is on the dresser. I’ll explain everything.” She opened the door to the TARDIS and set Tony down, who looked up at her with wide eyes. “T, go play for a little bit, okay?” 

“Are you mad at me?” he asked, and the Doctor clenched his jaw. 

He really didn’t want to say yes. 

“Just...Go to your room, Tony. Since you apparently have one,” he muttered, and Rose bit her lip as Tony ran down the hall. 

“Go to your room?” she asked, amused, but he wasn’t in a flirting mood. 

“He can’t be here,” the Doctor whispered, his chest tight. “How did we not know he was here? What kind of...how did we...” 

He groaned and rubbed his hand over his face. Rose’s eyes danced over his cheeks, and she bit her lip. 

“I don’t know. But...We locked the doors,” she said. “He got in anyway and my instincts never told me he was here which tells me...It tells me he is supposed to be here. I’m really, really mad at him, too, but I also think this might be the Old Girl helping us out a little. Somehow. She meddles.” 

The word destiny lingered in the air, and he ignored it. 

“Rose, he’s not even five years old,” he pleaded. 

“I know,” she said. “But this is an undercover mission. It’s going to be quiet.” He gave her a look, both fully aware that sometimes their most ‘quiet’ trips turn out to be the most chaotic, and she sighed. “Instincts, love. They’re telling me this isn’t -” 

“If we let him do this, Rose, he’s just going to want to come on more trips,” he said. “I’m not ready for that.” 

She knew he was remembering the fears he had the night before, and she just sighed. 

“Maybe that’s why she did it,” she whispered, and the Doctor just stared at her. “I’m sorry. I... I’m going to talk to Mum. I’m sure she’s freaking out.” 

“It was nice while it lasted,” he muttered. 

“What?” she asked. 

“Being married to you. She’s going to blame me and then kill me, you know that?” he said, and she rolled her eyes, his banter making her feel a little bit better about how he might be handling this situation. 

Just a little. 

She passed Tony’s room and couldn’t help but peek inside, noticing it was her old room, and something about that fact made her smile. He was playing with his lego sonic still, and she rubbed her hand along the wall of the TARDIS, shaking her head. 

“What game are you playing, hm?” she asked. The ship hummed in response, and she bit her lip as she moved to the dresser in their bedroom and phoned Jackie, who was screaming on the other end. “Hi, Mum.” 

_“Rose, I can’t talk, sweetheart. Tony-”_

“Mum, mum, it’s okay. He’s here. He apparently snuck into the TARDIS,” she said. “We just realized...The Doctor and I are in Scotland. 19th century. Just for a quiet trip. We’re in the countryside, romantic getaway sort of thing. He’s alright.”

 _“Oh, I’m going to kill him,”_ Jackie said, and Rose sighed. 

“Mum, it’s not the Doctor’s -” she said. 

_“Oh, like hell it isn’t! It’s both of their faults! It's your fault! It’s my fault! He’s in SCOTLAND? IN THE 19TH CENTURY?!”_ she shrieked, and the Doctor came to stand in the doorway, a knowing look on his face and Tony walked up next to him, and he picked him up. 

“He’s fine,” Rose said. “I swear. Do you want to talk to him?” 

_“If he ends up on Mars at any point, so help me-”_ Jackie said, but Rose pulled the phone away from her ear and bit her lip as she passed the phone to Tony, who they could all hear being reprimanded a little by Jackie. The Doctor frowned and took the phone, setting Tony down on the ground, who was a little upset and pouting again, and the Doctor looked at Rose like he was about to walk into his own funeral. 

“Hi, Jackie,” he said. “Look, we’re going to take him home, okay? We didn’t know -” Jackie was shouting and he just shook his head and handed the phone back to Rose. “We’re done.”

“Let me just try one more thing,” she pleaded, “Mum! Mum, slow down. Look, we’re in a very quiet place. There’s not a lot of people around. We scanned for alien tech, nothing came back.”

She glanced at the Doctor, who just sighed as he walked to the console to run an actual scan, aware his protests were going in one ear and out the other. Rose rubbed her lips together when she knew he was far enough away he couldn’t hear, and made sure all their blocks were in place. When she spoke next, it was quiet and desperate. “Mum, please? The Doctor had a breakdown last night because he’s afraid he’s going to disappoint Tony and Alice somehow…I just think he needs this and he may not realize it. Please.” 

The line was silent for a moment, and Jackie just sighed. 

_“No aliens?”_ she asked. 

“No. And if we somehow come across any we’ll leave and take him home immediately,” she assured her mother. 

_“How bad was it? The breakdown?”_ she whispered in the phone, and Rose sighed. 

“Not great,” she murmured. “It was...I tried, but...I just have a feeling. And we aren’t going to let him out of our sight. We’ll keep him safe, I swear.” 

A moment passed, and Rose knew she'd convinced her. 

_“Just this one trip,”_ she said. _“And tell Tony he’s grounded.”_

“He doesn’t know what that means,” Rose said, laughing a little. 

_“Oi, watch it or you’re grounded too,”_ Jackie retorted, and Rose smiled. 

“I love you, Mum,” she murmured. “Thank you.” 

_“Well,”_ she began. _“That bloody alien of yours is impossible to be around when he’s moody...Just be careful.”_

Rose smirked. She could hear the love and concern for the Doctor clear as day in her mother’s voice, and she had a moment where it all felt a little surreal, just how far all of them had come. 

“We will. I promise. We’ll be back tonight,” she said. 

Rose hung up the phone and let out a shaky breath just as the Doctor walked back in with his hands in his pockets, and he sighed. 

“No alien activity,” he said, sort of wishing there was. “I set the coordinates for London.” 

“She said we can take him on this one trip if we have him back tonight,” she said. He stiffened. 

“Rose…” he muttered, but she smiled. 

“I’m just trusting my instincts, okay? Let’s just go find Mr. Rhodes’ office and let Tony play with us a little. It’ll be fun,” she said. “He’ll be okay. He’s got us, yeah?” 

He clenched his jaw and nodded, and she squeezed his hand. His hearts were beating quickly and he was trying to calm down, and he closed his eyes when he saw Tony pretending to use his sonic on different parts of the ship, and Rose called him over. 

“T, Mum said you can stay but listen, you can’t ever do this again. You can’t just come onto the TARDIS without permission and you can’t not tell us you’re here. Do you understand?” she asked. 

“I’m sorry,” Tony said. “I just didn’t want you to leave yet.” 

Rose looked at the Doctor, both of their hearts swelling and breaking a little at the same time, and he knelt down in front of him, sighing. 

“Tony, look at me,” he began. “If you’re going to be here then I need you to do something for me. Rose and I are here for something important. You can’t bring your toy out there. We went back in time and that toy doesn’t exist yet. No talking about aliens. No asking questions about planets or stars or anything.” 

Tony just looked at him, and the Doctor cupped his cheek. 

“I need you to tell me you understand, Monster. Otherwise I have to take you home,” he said, his voice soft and warm, even though he was still feeling rather...well… 

“Okay,” Tony said. He sighed. 

“Good. Also, we’re pretending to be other people. It's...like we’re spies. We’re pretending to be spies. Can you do that?” the Doctor asked, his hearts beating against his chest. 

Everything inside of him was telling him what a terrible idea this was, but he could feel how calm Rose was, and he was desperately trying to trust her because, well, of course he did. 

“Can I have a spy name?” Tony asked with a gleam in his eye, and the Doctor clenched his jaw. 

“Sure,” he said, pulling out a piece of psychic paper from his pocket. He sniffed and opened it, and he felt his hearts plummet to his stomach. 

The word destiny was hard to ignore this time. 

“It says your name is...Patrick,” he whispered, his eyes locking with Rose. The small smile she had been wearing fell, and she grabbed the paper from him, staring at it while he swallowed hard, but Tony just smiled. 

“Like Patrick Star!?” Tony asked with a smile, and despite his fears, the moment the Doctor heard the eagerness and innocent excitement in Tony’s voice, he found himself laughing. 

He was reminded of the inevitable fact of the universe that the Tyler family had a way of writing themselves into the muscles his hearts, making it so they beat for them. 

“Exactly like that, Monster,” the Doctor said. “You’re still Rose’s brother in this game, but her name today is Marion.” 

Rose smiled, and the Doctor smiled back. For a moment he found it rather clever and hilarious, until he remembered why they were on this trip in the first place. He sighed. 

“You have to call me John today, can you do that?” he asked Tony. 

“John and Marion,” Tony repeated. “And I’m Patrick.” 

“Atta boy,” the Doctor said, “No alien talk. I mean it. Okay?” 

It was the sternest the Doctor’s voice had ever been with Tony, and he felt dread drip through him. But Tony just nodded, clearly too excited to play with them to notice how uneasy the Doctor was feeling, and Rose grabbed Tony’s hand. 

“Come on, then. Let’s go be spies,” she said with a wide smile, and she looked over at the Doctor as they all walked back out into the small village.


	3. Middle of the Puzzle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't read the other stories, this chapter has quite a few callbacks and builds on pretty much all of them, especially "Silver Linings."

Tony was quite giddy, but he was trying to make the Doctor happy, so he was staying fairly quiet as they walked. He was standing in between both of them, one hand in each of theirs, forcing them to walk slower than usual. The Doctor looked down at him, and he noticed there was a look in his eye that reminded him of Rose on that snowy evening in 1869. 

Pure awe. 

“You having fun?” he couldn’t resist asking, and Tony nodded, smiling widely, and the Doctor squeezed his hand as they continued down the street until they reached the back of the village. 

There were even fewer people here, but Rose led them forward, trusting her instincts, and it wasn’t long before they all found themselves standing outside Mr. Rhodes’ office. 

“Tony, one more time. What are our names?” the Doctor asked. 

“John and Marion. I’m Patrick. No aliens,” he repeated. The Doctor ruffled his hair and smiled, trying to hide how nervous all of this was making him as he pulled the door open, letting Rose and Tony walk in first. Rose picked her brother up, making him sit on her lap as she sat down in the lobby. Unlike 21st century offices, there wasn’t a check-in desk or a receptionist waiting to greet them, but there was a bell on a table, and the Doctor went to go ring it, trying to see if anyone was there. 

“Wait,” Rose said, “Let’s look around first.” 

The Doctor’s eyes flickered to Tony for a moment who was still sitting on her lap, and they began to look at the walls. The Doctor used his sonic to open drawers on the tables some lamps were sitting on, looking through papers, but nothing jumped out at him.

Electricity wasn’t available in most places during this time, he knew, but this office had it, and he deducted as it tried to get a sense of just how advanced it all was. 

“This place is well-funded,” he murmured in Rose’s ear. 

“Well, he is the Prince’s doctor,” she replied, and suddenly the front door opened behind them. The Doctor turned sharply, and he stiffened when Mr. Townes walked in, wearing a footman’s suit. 

He shared a look with Rose, having not expected to see him _at all,_ and they both turned away, trying not to let him see their faces. He had already met them once, and he had to meet them again in twenty years, and they couldn’t risk altering the timeline. 

Wibbly, wobbly, timey-timey, stuff…

Rose sighed and looked away, and Mr. Townes nodded a little at the Doctor but didn’t say anything as he stepped through the door. Tony watched him. 

“Who’s that?” he whispered to Rose, who just shook her head. 

“No one,” she said, holding Tony a little closer. The Doctor stayed still, and Mr. Townes moved to the bell, ringing it once. 

“Good day,” he said to the Doctor, moving to stand next to him. The Doctor glanced at Rose, alarms ringing in his head, and when he spoke next, his Scottish accent came out. 

He desperately hoped Mr. Townes wouldn’t recognize it. 

“Hello,” he carefully replied. Mr. Townes, much to the Doctor’s relief, didn’t say anything further or even really look at him, and the Doctor decided to cross and sit next to Rose. Tony reached for him, and the Doctor took him out of her lap and held him in his, and Mr. Townes chuckled. 

“You don’t see too many lads ask to sit on their father’s laps,” he said. 

The Doctor debated for a fraction of a second in his head about correcting him, but Tony beat him to it. 

“He’s my Uncle Doc...John,” Tony said, and Rose gave him a small high five behind her back. 

“They're brother-in-laws, technically,” Rose said, somehow mastering a Scottish accent this time around, and the Doctor bit his cheek. Apparently, four years of Vortex energy running through your mind helps with that sort of thing. 

“My apologies,” he said, and he stayed silent for a moment. “I had a brother…” 

And there it was. 

Rose saw the flicker of a shadow on Mr. Townes face, and the Doctor inhaled sharply. He didn’t say anything more, but Mr. Rhodes walked out a moment later and stopped when he realized Mr. Townes wasn’t alone, putting on a bright smile. 

“Hello,” he said. “Who have we here?” 

“I’m Patrick,” Tony shouted, and Rose watched the way Mr. Townes stiffened and cleared his throat. 

The Doctor felt pride course through him, suddenly not nearly as afraid as he had been. He could practically feel the ripples washing across the room. 

_He’s getting worked up. This is good._

_I’d say we’re playing with fire._

_He would know._

Their eyes lingered and they smiled softly. 

“Patrick?” Mr. Rhodes asked, sharing a small glance with Mr. Townes. “Are these your parents?” 

“I’m his sister,” Rose said. “This is my husband.” 

Mr. Rhodes nodded and grabbed a notepad, walking to sit down across from Tony. 

“Sir, I’ll be with you soon,” he said, looking at Mr. Townes, who, for some reason, didn’t leave the room. “Sir? Some privacy, please.” 

Rose and the Doctor knew immediately it was all an act. 

“Oh, it’s alright,” the Doctor said. “My wife is pregnant.”

“Yes, I think he can see that,” Rose teased, and the Doctor smirked. 

“We’re just trying to find a doctor who can help her with her delivery. Just moved to this village,” he said. 

“Right,” Mr. Rhodes said. “We’ll, I’m not a midwife. Glasgow would be better.” 

The tone of his voice was a little rude and agitated, and Rose let her instincts guide her. 

“You just seem trustworthy,” she said, and the Doctor’s eyes darted over to her for a moment, hiding a smirk. “That’s alright. We’ll be going. Patrick, say goodbye.” 

“Bye!” he said, looking at Mr. Rhodes, and Rose stood, picking him up from the Doctor’s lap, and very subtly whispering something in his ear. 

She set him down, and let go of him so she could pretend to smooth her dress, and she and the Doctor watched carefully as Tony ran to Mr. Townes and hugged his leg. The Doctor shook his head ever so subtly, impressed with his wife as always, and she nudged his arm. 

“Patrick, we don’t hug-” the Doctor began to say, keeping up appearances, but Mr. Townes just cleared his throat. 

“No,” he said. “It’s alright. You all take care.” 

“You too,” Rose said, smiling, and she let the Doctor grab Tony’s hand as they walked outside, and tucked around the corner of the building. 

They all burst into laughter for a moment. 

“What now?” Tony asked, “That was fun!” 

“Now we stay quiet,” the Doctor said. “Well done, Monster.” 

“Really?” he asked, and the Doctor just winked at him. 

“Wait five more seconds,” Rose whispered, and he grabbed her hand. They walked back inside, but Mr. Townes and Mr. Rhodes were both no longer in the lobby, and Rose held her finger to her lips as she walked toward the door Mr. Rhodes had come out of before and they all listened carefully. 

“Tea?” they heard Mr. Rhodes ask. 

“Sure,” Mr. Townes said. 

The sound of a teacup clanking on a saucer was heard, and the Doctor held Tony’s hand tightly. 

“Are you alright?” Mr. Rhodes said. 

“Yes,” Mr. Townes replied. The room was silent for a moment. “Is it confirmed? That Her Majesty’s children have also…” 

“Unfortunately, yes,” Mr. Rhodes said. “They all seem to have the same protein in their blood I can’t quite isolate. I’m working on a more detailed analysis.” 

The room was silent again, and Rose could hear the sound of a spoon stirring sugar in a cup. 

They could hear something getting set down on a table, and Mr. Rhodes cleared his throat. 

“What is that?” he asked. 

“An offer,” Mr. Townes said. “A gift for Her Majesty by someone who is like her, apparently. Said they are trying to do their patriotic duty, too. Eyes like a cold moon. So bright. They said they can control time. And if we find a cure in the blood, we can combine the two and undo all of this. Turn back the clock. Their only caveat is that we offer them the cure as well.” 

“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Mr. Rhodes said. “It’s a bloody diamond.” 

“No,” Mr. Townes said. “It’s a promise.” 

Rose’s eyes locked with the Doctor’s, and Tony suddenly began to pull on his hand, doing his potty dance. 

“Tony, I can’t,” the Doctor whispered. “Can you hold it?” 

Tony nodded, still wiggling, and Rose bit her lip, turning her attention back to the door. 

“What do you need from me, then?” Mr. Rhodes asked. 

“I came here to say I wasn’t going to take the offer,” he whispered. “I came to warn you that they might try to come talk to you, too. Possibly show you one of these diamonds yourself. They wear this hood, they never show their face. All you can see are their eyes. I came to tell you not to answer the door, because this is ludicrous, right?” 

“But?” Mr. Rhodes said. 

“But then that little boy…” Mr. Townes muttered. “He must have been the same age my brother was. It just...It felt like a sign. A reminder what I’m doing all of this for. So no other family has to suffer like mine did. And to protect the Queen. My patriotic duty.” 

“You were a good soldier,” Mr. Rhodes said. “You don’t have to prove -” 

“Patriotic duty!” Mr. Townes shouted, and even through the door they could feel the room shake. The Doctor pulled Tony to him. “I apologize.” 

Tony began to dance more. The Doctor sighed. 

“Go, it’s okay,” Rose whispered. 

“Rose -” the Doctor began to say, and she smiled. 

_I’ll keep my mind open. He’s in your suit, wouldn’t want him to ruin it._

The Doctor smirked. 

_Quite right. I love you. Be careful._

_I will. See you soon._

_Not if I see you first._

He winked at her, and walked with Tony out of the office, looking for the nearest loo. 

Rose took a deep breath and listened to any final bits of information she could gather, and she ran her hand along her belly as she did. 

“Eyes like the moon, you say?” Mr. Rhodes asked. “Sounds rather...pretty.” 

“They were cold,” Mr. Townes said. “Gave me the shivers at first, but they are the only one willing to try and help us stop this. If you can work on securing a cure in the blood, I can work on what to do with these diamonds.” 

“How are you going to do that?” Mr. Rhodes asked. 

“Take them to Torchwood. They will be able to advise myself and the Queen on what to do, I’m sure. And your discretion, as always, is appreciated. ”

Rose sensed a handshake coming, and she quickly ran out of the office, finding the Doctor and Tony looking at a family of ducks. Tony was giggling, and Rose stopped and stared for a moment, and the Doctor smiled when he saw her. 

She moved to him, leaning against him as he wrapped his arm around her, kissing the top of her head. 

_Well…That was..._

_I know._

Their eyes lingered for a moment, and Tony was still laughing at the ducks. 

“Tony,” Rose said, snapping his attention over to them. “Thank you.”

“Are we done being spies?” he asked, and the Doctor nodded. 

“Yeah,” he said. “We should go. Get you some food on the TARDIS and then back home. Your mother is worried about you.” 

He wiggled his fingers like he usually does with Rose, and Tony reached up and took his hand, all making their way back to the blue doors. The Doctor and Rose were talking in their heads a little, but not completely dissecting what just happened with Tony still around, when suddenly a woman bumped into Rose by mistake, carrying far too many boxes to be able to see where she was going. She groaned when they all fell to the ground, and the Doctor let go of Tony’s hand so he could help her pick them back up. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Rose said, picking up Tony. “What about you? Do you need help carrying these?” 

“Oh, I’m alright, thank you,” she said, and she finally lifted her face from the stack of boxes she was making, and Rose’s smile faltered. 

It was Myrtle, wearing a simple maid’s uniform much different from what she wore when they last saw her, and Rose's mind flashed to that day in 1901. 

_”You and your husband, have we met before?” she asked. Rose looked at her._

_“No,” she said, her heart pounding a little._

The Doctor noticed who she was right away, too, and he stayed silent as he helped Myrtle stack up the boxes, suddenly afraid of pulling a pebble from the water. She said thank you and they nodded, watching as she ran off toward a carriage that was parked near the end of the street they knew led to Mr. Rhodes’ office. 

“She must be here with Mr. Townes,” Rose whispered. “Errands or whatever.” 

“They worked their way up,” the Doctor muttered. “Good for her.” 

“Not him?” Rose teased, and he just sighed. 

“Don’t know where to start with him,” he whispered, kissing her briefly as he led both her and Tony to the TARDIS, and he let out a long breath of relief when he finally closed the door behind him. 

He didn’t know how to describe what he was feeling, but it was impossible not to hug his brother-in-law at the moment. 

“Tony, come here.” 

He scooped him up, holding him a little tighter than usual, and Rose placed her hand on top of her belly, smiling when Alice kicked. 

They both felt her send them the feeling of swimming in fluid, and the Doctor stopped breathing. 

She went back to sleep a moment later. 

“Uncle Doctor?” Tony asked, gasping a little for air, and the Doctor immediately set him down, smiling at him. 

“Sorry,” he said. “You were wonderful today. Molto Bene.” 

“What’s that mean?” he asked, and the Doctor’s smile widened. 

“Means you make a good spy,” he said with a wink. “But...No more trips for a while, okay? You didn’t do anything wrong, apart from, well, from stowing away, I s’pose, but…” 

“I know,” Tony said. “I’m sorry I made you mad.” 

“We were scared,” Rose said. “And mad. But mostly scared. If we didn’t find you...No one knew where you were, T. You can’t do that.” 

“I’m sorry,” he said, and Rose glanced at the Doctor, who was looking at Tony carefully. 

“We love you, T,” she said, hugging him almost as tightly as the Doctor did, and she sighed. “Let’s get you some food.” 

The Doctor watched as she led him to the galley, and he approached the console, sending them to the Vortex for a while as Tony ate. 

He sat down in the pilot’s seat, and tried to decompress. 

His mind was swirling with a thousand thoughts and emotions, and he ran a hand over his face, not entirely sure where to begin. He heard Tony giggle, followed by Rose, and he closed his eyes. 

Everything worked out fine, he knew, and that thought would normally make it worse, because he knew that when humans do things they aren’t supposed to and it _works,_ they tend to get a little overly-confident. 

This time, however, it made him feel better, and that was sending his mind down a complicated path. 

He knew, and Rose knew, and apparently the TARDIS knew, that everything Tony helped them do today was destiny. Pre-determined. Fate. Whatever you want to call it. 

A fixed point. 

He knew time, and he knew that Mr. Townes would have given up on the diamonds, which would have altered everything. It would have undone the moment Patrick gave them the Eye of Discord, which would have undone…

He didn’t even want to think about it. 

Tony saved the day today with a simple smile.

“Takes after his sister,” the Doctor mumbled under his breath, not realizing he said the words out loud, and he suddenly found himself thinking about Alice, and all the ways she’s already surprised him. 

He knew he was going to be in a constant state of fear, amazement, worry, joy, and awe for the next thousand years. 

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He could unpack the rest later. Right now, he just wanted to be near his family. He had that now. In more ways than one. It still boggled his mind. 

He walked into the galley, where somehow Tony had a bowl of instant macaroni and cheese, a meal he can’t ever remember having seen him eat before, and he leaned against the doorframe when he saw Rose was eating a bowl, too. 

He realized it was a craving. 

“Here,” Rose said, passing him a serving as well, and he shook his head. 

“I would never,” he said, mocking her a little, and she just gave him a look. “Rose, we can go to Italy whenever we want. Get proper pasta.” 

“He doesn’t know what he’s missing, does he, T?” Rose asked, and Tony laughed. The Doctor just bit his cheek. 

“Don’t you dare. You, Martha, and Donna are bad enough,” he said with a smile he was trying not to let show, but his hearts were swelling at the look on both Rose and Tony’s face, and he knew he was a lost cause. 

“What?” she asked innocently, and he just bit his cheek. 

His perfectly imperfect family. 

The rest of the meal was calm, and when the gentle hum of the TARDIS materialized in the Tyler’s backyard, Jackie was running and caught Tony in her arms immediately, kissing the top of his head. 

The only other time the Doctor had seen her this relieved was the day he brought Rose back a year late. 

He felt guilt flood through him. 

“DON’T YOU EVER, EVER DO THAT AGAIN,” she exclaimed, and Tony hugged her, apologizing and crying a little when he sensed how upset she was, and Pete was there, too, pulling both of them into a hug. The Doctor and Rose stepped off the ship and held hands, and after a few minutes of silence, Jackie passed Tony off to Pete who began his own lecture, and told Tony they would figure out some sort of punishment in the morning, but now, he wanted him to go to bed. 

They all watched as he carried him upstairs through the kitchen window. 

“Come inside,” Jackie ordered, not giving them a moment to explain anything. 

They did. 

The Doctor sat down at the dining table, Rose’s hand still clasped in his, and when he tried to open his mouth Jackie just held up her hand, wanting to wait for Pete before they all talked. She looked at Rose, silently asking if the Doctor was alright and she shrugged, and Jackie just put on a kettle of water. 

They still weren’t speaking when it began to whistle. 

Jackie made a cup for everyone, and she collapsed into the seat across from Rose, sighing. Pete walked down a moment later, his eyes a little red, and the Doctor clenched his jaw, realizing they both had been crying. 

“I’m so sorry,” he said. “We had no idea. Apparently he -” 

“Stop,” Jackie said. “Just...drink your tea.” 

He sighed and looked at Rose, who began to rub her thumb along the back of his hand. 

It was many minutes before Jackie finally broke the tension. 

“We aren’t mad at either of you,” she began. “And I want to thank you for looking out for him. We just...can’t believe he did that.” 

“It’s my fault,” the Doctor muttered. His tea sat untouched in front of him, and everyone turned their eyes to him. “I’ve been letting him on that ship since he could crawl. He clearly, I dunno, memorized the layout or something because we never saw him….I should have been stricter. More vigilant. Set rules. He shouldn’t have been able to do that.” 

“Look at me,” Rose whispered. “You’ve never let Tony on board unless one of us was there, too. And when he is there, you have the ship hide practically every room and we always make sure to lock the doors. You’ve also given him plenty of lectures about -” 

“It doesn’t matter, Rose,” he said sadly. “He still -” 

“Doctor,” Jackie began. “Stop.” 

He glanced up at her, and she was smiling a little at him, shaking her head as she sipped her tea. 

“Jackie, it could have been dangerous,” he began, and she nodded. 

“But it wasn’t, was it?” she retorted, and the Doctor just sighed. “Five years ago I’d probably have your head on a stake by now, but this wasn’t your fault so shut it.” 

The Doctor stared at his wedding ring, trying to process the last five and a half years in three seconds, and Jackie grabbed his hand. 

“I want you to hear me when I tell you this, Doctor. There are two people besides Pete and myself I trust to take care of Tony, and they are both sitting across from me,” she whispered. 

He swallowed hard when she said those words, and she sighed. 

“I knew he was safe once I knew he was with you. I did. It’s why I let him stay. And I’m sorry I yelled. I was just...so terrified. And relieved. I know I get snarky when I’m…” she said, breaking off. 

“Mum, don’t do that,” Rose whispered, and Jackie took a deep breath. 

“I think it is wonderful how much he admires you,” she continued, looking at the Doctor. Rose knew what she was doing, and she loved her so much for it. “I never thought I’d ever say that. I used to think...Doesn’t matter what I used to think. I was wrong. Pete agrees.” 

“Course I do,” he added. “We aren’t mad he went with you, mate. We’re mad he didn’t tell us or ask you. It’s that simple.” 

The Doctor didn’t know what to say, and Rose took a sip of her tea, letting her mother’s words settle as the warm liquid ran through her. Her husband just made a face and avoided eye contact, and Rose squeezed his hand. 

“We told him no more trips. Not for a while. We told him he can’t ever do that again, too. We’ve never talked to you about letting him come with us, and…” Rose said, and Jackie laughed. 

“Sweetheart, I’ve known since the day that boy was born you two were going to sweep him off his feet eventually. He’s already been obsessed with aliens for as long as I can remember. I knew he’d fall in love with the stars. Long as you and the Doctor were around, I knew it. But I agree, not anytime soon,” she said. “Did you at least have fun?” 

“I can’t believe you’re asking that,” the Doctor said, staring at her in shock. “Jackie…” 

“Shut it,” she said lovingly. “You’re family, Doctor. I trust you.” 

Rose smiled at her mother, who just stood up and kissed the Doctor on the head. He was overwhelmed, even though he already knew Jackie felt that way on some level, and Rose looked at Pete, who sighed and winked at her. She realized Jackie must have told him that the Doctor was doubting himself, and they wanted to help remind him just how special he is. 

She looked over as her husband stood and pulled Jackie in a hug. 

“We had fun,” the Doctor finally replied. Jackie smiled at him. 

“Good,” she said. “Kids sometimes do things you can’t expect. This is a moment where Pete and I have to figure out what lesson we teach. You two will see.” 

The Doctor stared at her, and Rose moved to stand next to him, sliding her hand into his. “Quite right.”

“It’s been a long day,” Pete said, kissing Jackie’s head. “I think we all need some rest. Do you two want to stay here one more night?” 

“Sure,” Rose said. 

They all hugged goodnight, the air still feeling a little heavy as Rose and the Doctor walked upstairs to the bedroom, and he sighed against the door as it closed. She pulled him into a hug. 

He let her scent wrap itself around him, mostly rosewater with still a hint of sweet honey, and he said he loved her in Gallifreyan. 

She said it back, along with his proper name. It was the first time he’d heard her say it in a while, and he smiled. 

“Thank you,” he whispered. 

“For what?” she asked, pressing her lips to his. He kissed her back. 

“Not giving up today,” he murmured. “Tony needed to be there. You were right. He…” 

“I know,” Rose said, bringing her hand to the back of his head. “Who would have thought?” 

He just shook his head, still overwhelmed, and Rose moved to the dresser to change into pajamas. The Doctor changed as well, and Rose laughed. “Mum didn’t even comment on our clothes.” 

He chuckled softly, “She was a little distracted, Rose.” 

“Yeah,” she mused, and she helped her with the back of the corset, planting small kisses on her neck as he gently pulled her free. The entire dress fell to the ground with a thud, and he frowned, noticing deep indents in her skin from the lining and material. 

“Does this hurt?” he asked, she glanced down. 

“No,” she said. “It’ll go away.” 

“You should have told me if the clothes were uncomfortable, Rose, we could have -” he started to say, and she laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

“Shhhh,” she said. “I’m fine.” 

She hugged him, shivering a little now that she wasn’t wearing the thick fabric, and he quickly handed her a shirt and sweats, letting her change before he threw on whatever clothes he could find, and they left the 19th century on the floor as they crawled into bed.

It was deja-vu for a moment when Rose tucked herself on her side and he stared up at the ceiling, but she began to kiss his shoulder, and he lifted her chin so he could kiss her lips instead. 

His hand brushed across her waist, pulling her closer, and she made a noise as his hand moved to the small of her back, his kiss getting longer and deeper. 

“Your damn instincts,” he whispered. 

“To be fair, it was the TARDIS more than me today,” she said, and he looked at her very seriously. 

“I would have sent him home,” he whispered. “I would have undone everything. We would have…” 

“Stop,” Rose said. “We didn’t.” 

“That’s my point,” he said. “And your parents...No one has ever trusted me with their child before, Rose. Not like that. Cathal was furious every single time Susan traveled with me. It’s just....” 

“If you say you don’t deserve it -” she began, but he kissed her. 

“I’m processing it,” he said. “And if she had said that to me last night, I’d be a mess right now. But...we held onto her…” He brushed his hand along her stomach, kissing her again, and he pressed his forehead to hers. “Tony helped us do that. I will never be able to thank him enough for that and he will probably never understand what he did. Not completely. It’s just…” 

“You’re rambling, baby,” she teased, and he sighed. 

“I’m happy,” he said. “And...I love you all. So much. It’s dizzying.” 

She smiled at him, and she cupped her hand to his cheek, kissing him again, relieved he wasn’t beating himself up anymore. He wrapped his arm around her again, and she laughed when Alice kicked. He laughed too, and that heavy air evaporated into something else. 

Hope. 

He pulled away, letting out a deep breath, and he smiled. “Eyes like the moon…” 

“Must be the Darkness,” Rose murmured. He nodded, looking up at the ceiling while he was in thought. 

“Think it’s safe to assume the Oath are wolves,” he said. “They gave Townes the diamonds so he could also give them a cure. I imagine when he decided to destroy them they must not have been too happy.”

“They must have gone after him,” Rose whispered. “Makes sense why they killed Patrick. They probably still need the cure.” 

“Yeah, he said. “He took the diamonds to Torchwood. Something must have gone wrong. We need those files.” 

“I know,” Rose said, running her hand in between his hearts. He felt goosebumps rise on his arms. “We’ll tell Jack.” 

“Yeah,” the Doctor said, kissing her forehead. “Though, right now, Rose...I really don’t want to think about Jack.” 

She giggled, and he shifted his body so he was hovering over her, capturing her lips in a kiss. She smiled, their tongues dancing, and she bit her lip to silence her cry of pleasure as his lips moved down to her jaw, then her collarbone, and his hands found their way to her breasts. 

They made love as quietly as they possibly could, as carefully as they possibly could, but the Doctor still wound up with a large hickey on his neck and Rose had teeth marks on her hips somehow, and he held her close, simply trying to understand how he got so lucky, to love so completely, and be loved in return. 

He dreamt of Rose that night.


End file.
